


Turtley In Love With You

by fiftyshadesofstony



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bookstore Owner Steve, Established Relationship, M/M, Misunderstandings About Home Decor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29281092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiftyshadesofstony/pseuds/fiftyshadesofstony
Summary: Tony finds himself thinking back on his relationship with Steve, and how a request for Steve to add more of his own touches to their home decor leads to Tony getting much more than he bargained for.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22
Collections: POTS (18+) Stony Stocking 2020





	Turtley In Love With You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BladeoftheNebula](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BladeoftheNebula/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [BladeoftheNebula](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BladeoftheNebula/pseuds/BladeoftheNebula) in the [stony_stocking_2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/stony_stocking_2020) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Discord name: BladeoftheNebula
> 
> It’s all AUs baby! 
> 
> Short prompt:
> 
> \- Historical arranged marriage  
> \- Farmer Steve  
> \- Royal AU
> 
> Long prompt:  
> \- Steve starts buying really tacky home decorations and knick knacks and filling the penthouse with it. Tony HATES it but also doesn't want to upset Steve because he seems to love them and he wants him to be happy. Steve is totally messing with Tony
> 
> \- Tony gets cursed so that whenever he's sad his eyes get huge and shiny. Steve is powerless
> 
> \- Tony is a millionaire country singer who everyone assumes is uncaring and all about the money and Steve is a disillusioned fan. Until he discovers Tony is basically the guy version of Dolly Parton, donating a fuckton of money and working with kids and animals and then he is 😍
> 
> Dislikes: Non-con that goes further than unwanted touching/suggestion, Sad endings, terminal illness, major character death, cheating/betrayal, CACW/endgame, canon fixits  
> \-------  
>   
> Neb! I wanted this piece to have a lot more Prince Philip featured in it than it actually does, but I hope you like the story regardless!

Tony sat in bed, looking down at the man wrapped around him, using his stomach for a pillow. He smiled to himself, running his fingers through blonde hair, as his thoughts raced. Tony had been dating Steve Rogers, the kindest, funniest, sexiest bookstore owner he’d ever laid eyes on, for almost four years; living with him for close to three. Looking down at Steve now, seeing his brow furrowed in what must have been frustration as Prince Philip trained him on how to deadlift a barbell weighted with books in his dreams again, Tony’s mind was flooded with memories of their time together. 

Tony had spent an embarrassing amount of time staking out Top Shelf Books, before finally going in and charming his way into a date with Steve. From the jump, Tony wanted to shower Steve with presents; gift giving was his strongest love language after all. But Steve always maintained that he didn't need things, all he needed was Tony, which...was something he wasn't completely used to. Tony spent a not so insignificant amount of his life learning that people always stuck around as long as they had a reason. That reason, more often than not, was whatever his money could buy. So, though he tried to trust Steve’s words and cool it on the gift giving, Tony just couldn't kick the fear that once the gifts were gone, Steve would be too. 

Once Steve moved in, though, Tony saw just how minimalistic his boyfriend truly was. He brought next to nothing but the bare essentials along, claiming yet again, that he didn’t need ‘stuff’, all he needed was Tony and he’d have more than enough. That clearly couldn’t have been the case, or at least Tony convinced himself as much. It didn’t take long before Tony was routinely pestering Steve about buying whatever he wanted to make their place seem more like his home as well. 

_“I want you to pack this place full of things that make you feel like our home is as much your space as it is mine.”_

Those were the words Tony remembered saying all those years ago. It seemed after that, Steve understood, and took Tony’s words to heart. 

It started when Tony came home from a long day at work, to see a small crystal clear glass turtle sitting in the kitchen next to the hand soap. He smiled to himself, thinking that maybe this was a sign that Steve had finally realized the importance of bringing more of his things into their home. Tony held onto that sweet thought as time went on, and slowly but surely more and more turtles began to pop up. 

In the beginning, Tony just assumed that the affinity Steve had for turtles was because they were his favorite animal. Upon asking, though, Steve assured that his favorite animal was in fact the Tyto Owl. Tony couldn't help but wrack his brain over the fact that their home was slowly becoming a sanctuary for the most random, kitschy turtle decor. 

As confusing as they were, Tony assumed at some point, Steve would either feel content with the amount of turtle decor they had, or move on to collecting something else. However, 3 years into living together and Steve was still managing to surprise him with more and more random turtles. 

Tony wanted to say he didn't mind them, he actually enjoyed a lot of the little glass figurines, but once the towels, mugs, and stuffed animals made an appearance, he felt a small bout of annoyance followed by guilt. Here he was, thinking of how he didn't want such questionable turtle decor clogging up their home, when all Steve was doing was honoring Tony’s wish and bringing things that made him happy into their space. Tony resigned himself to the idea that he was more than willing to spend the rest of his life learning to love all the insane turtles that crossed the threshold of their home, because that’s what made Steve happy.

It was that thought, the idea that he knew deep down in his soul that the rest of his life would inevitably be filled with turtles because the rest of his life would be spent with Steve, that led Tony to this very moment. Sitting in their bed, Steve began to stir, eyes fluttering opened as he looked up and smiled at Tony. 

“Were you watching me sleep?” Steve questioned, voice thick with early morning drowsiness. 

“I was watching you only if you were lifting books as weights in your dreams again,” Tony quipped. 

Steve furrowed his brow, looking off into the distance for a moment before shaking his head and looking back at Tony. “What's our plan for today?” 

“Oh...uh,” Tony stammered, slowly reaching for the nightstand to grab a small box. “I was thinking of asking you a question.” He opened the box and produced a brushed platinum ring with a single small diamond embedded in the center. 

“Tony?” Steve asked after considering the item for a moment.

“You should check up the inscription,” Tony promoted, handing the ring over to Steve. Once he was certain Steve saw the image of a turtle sitting on the inside of the band, he continued. “I love you, Steve; every single part of you. From the crazy hours you work at the bookstore, to all of these,” he gestured towards the turtles surrounding their bed, “and everything in between. While I can't say that I'm anywhere close to even sort of understanding your obsession with turtles, I wanted to add that to your ring to say that I want to spend the rest of my life with every single part of you, even the parts that confuse the hell out of me. I love you more than anything and it’d be the honor of a lifetime if you said you'd marry me.” 

Tony felt like days went by as he looked into Steve’s deep blue eyes, searching for any hint of an answer. As if in slow motion, Tony saw Steve’s features transform as he burst into laughter. The initial feeling that Tony was met with was fear, then shame. As if he could read Tony’s mind, Steve immediately stopped laughing and shook his head. 

“I’m not laughing _at_ you babe, I would never laugh at you after saying such beautiful words,” Steve assured, slipping the ring onto his ring finger. “I'm laughing because...the turtles are me being a little shit. They have been this whole time.” 

Tony caught himself gazing at the ring on Steve’s finger, pulling his eyes away to give a questioning look. Steve rolled his eyes and smiled. “You wouldn't get off my back about buying stuff to fill our home with. I told you time and again I didn't need anything other than you, but you never let up. I figured if I started buying garish, tacky decor that you’d eventually tell me to stop or just start throwing them away. When you didn't, I wasn't sure if that was you silently daring me to do my worst or if you were truly okay with them, but by that point I’d developed an association between kitschy turtles and my love for you, so I just kept up with it.” 

Tony almost felt his brain come to a screeching halt. “Wait...so you’re not obsessed with turtles?”

“No, Tony.”

“You mean to tell me I've been forced to wake up next to shit like this,” Tony gestured toward a crocheted turtle pillow “for no reason other than the fact that you’re an asshole?” 

“Excuse me,” Steve inched closer, “is that anyway to speak to your future husband?” He asked, planting a sweet kiss on Tony’s lips. 

Tony barely pulled away, lips still on Steve’s as he smiled. “Considering what you’ve put me through, yeah, I think it is.” 

\-------  
When their wedding day comes, less than a year later, their friends can't help but laugh as they see various turtles from Steve and Tony’s home placed as center pieces at their reception.


End file.
